Policy, the last resort of … : Ryan Lizza on the allegedly suspiciously-friendly-with-Russians Trump players (Flynn, Manafort, Page):
To some extent, they all share Kislyak’s view that America, through NATO and its eastern expansion, has been needlessly hostile to Russia, that Ukrainian democracy and sovereignty is a nuisance issue, and that the U.S. and Russia could be united by the common threat from ISIS. [E.A.]
Yikes. That is so … um, reasonable. It would be easier to join the press’ near-unanimous scorn for the Trump advisers if it weren’t. … (I wouldn’t say Ukrainian sovereignty is a “nuisance issue” — just not our cause, and not a cause we should be willing to go to war over.) …
Oh please. Are Poland, Estonia, and Ukraine threatening to invade Russia? Are any members of NATO threatening to invade Russia? How is NATO’s expansion “hostile” to Russia?!
I think we now have NATO, including American, forces in Poland and the Baltic States. We may not be threatening to invade Russia, but it is inherently threatening to do that. How would we like it if Russia put troops in Canada, Mexico, Cuba, or Venezuela?
“just not our cause”
Um, yes it is, due to (with a lot of others) then-Senator Obama voting to guarantee Ukraine’s sovereignty if they gave up their nuclear weapons.